Press freedom in Nigeria
Nigeria: Press freedom was 1 in 2016. ▬ Flat
Latest (2016)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
61st
of 194 countries
All-time high
2
in 1988
All-time low
0
in 1994
Years of data
36
1979–2016
Press freedom in Nigeria, 1979–2016
Source: Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 1 for press freedom in 2016.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, press freedom in Nigeria peaked at 2 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1994.
That places Nigeria 61st out of 194 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.12 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.6 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 61 Afghanistan 1 compare
- 61 Albania 1 compare
- 61 Antigua and Barbuda 1 compare
- 61 Argentina 1 compare
- 61 Benin 1 compare
- 61 Bhutan 1 compare
- 61 Bolivia 1 compare
- 61 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
- 61 Botswana 1 compare
- 61 Brazil 1 compare
- 61 Bulgaria 1 compare
- 61 Burkina Faso 1 compare
- 61 Colombia 1 compare
- 61 Comoros 1 compare
- 61 Congo 1 compare
- 61 Cote d'Ivoire 1 compare
- 61 Croatia 1 compare
- 61 Dominican Republic 1 compare
- 61 East Timor 1 compare
- 61 El Salvador 1 compare
- 61 Fiji 1 compare
- 61 Georgia 1 compare
- 61 Ghana 1 compare
- 61 Greece 1 compare
- 61 Guatemala 1 compare
- 61 Guinea-Bissau 1 compare
- 61 Guyana 1 compare
- 61 Haiti 1 compare
- 61 Hong Kong 1 compare
- 61 Hungary 1 compare
- 61 India 1 compare
- 61 Indonesia 1 compare
- 61 Israel 1 compare
- 61 Italy 1 compare
- 61 Kenya 1 compare
- 61 Kuwait 1 compare
- 61 Lebanon 1 compare
- 61 Lesotho 1 compare
- 61 Liberia 1 compare
- 61 Madagascar 1 compare
- 61 Malawi 1 compare
- 61 Mali 1 compare
- 61 Mauritania 1 compare
- 61 Moldova 1 compare
- 61 Mongolia 1 compare
- 61 Montenegro 1 compare
- 61 Mozambique 1 compare
- 61 Namibia 1 compare
- 61 Nauru 1 compare
- 61 Nepal 1 compare
- 61 Nicaragua 1 compare
- 61 Niger 1 compare
- 61 Panama 1 compare
- 61 Paraguay 1 compare
- 61 Peru 1 compare
- 61 Philippines 1 compare
- 61 Poland 1 compare
- 61 Romania 1 compare
- 61 Senegal 1 compare
- 61 Serbia 1 compare
- 61 Seychelles 1 compare
- 61 Sierra Leone 1 compare
- 61 South Africa 1 compare
- 61 South Korea 1 compare
- 61 Tanzania 1 compare
- 61 Togo 1 compare
- 61 Tunisia 1 compare
- 61 Uganda 1 compare
- 61 Ukraine 1 compare
More social development data for Nigeria
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 123,848 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 478,150 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score -1.66 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 56,176 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 18,192 (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 3.64 million (2025)
- Self-reported life satisfaction 4.79 (2025)
- Internally displaced people (IDP) by country or territory of asylum / 3.50 million (2025)
- Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" 13.0% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is press freedom in Nigeria?
- Press freedom in Nigeria was 1 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest press freedom recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1988.
- What is the lowest press freedom recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1994.
- How does Nigeria rank for press freedom?
- Nigeria ranks 61st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
- Is press freedom rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Press freedom. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Based on the classification and data by Freedom House. It captures the legal, political, and economic environment of the press.